I know they were narrow and got bumpier by the month as HCC did not repair them but isn't having no bike lanes at all on the road to/ from Hertford North even worse?

Frankly, no.

Indicative cycle lanes are completely pointless and offer no additional protection to cyclists whatsoever. They're just a ruse for the council to claim they're supporting cycling. Cyclists need to be properly separated from other traffic, including pedestrians where possible.

Disagree completely. Along that stretch there is insufficient space for "proper" segregation, and as someone who rides them everyday I do find that drivers try to keep out of them. Not the gold standard but better than nowt. Which as Highwayman says is what we have (temporarily I hope) for now. Would also have been an idea for HCC to send a gully cleaner down there - most of the gullies are full.

I'm aware of the Commissioners' opinions. And I've offered mine. Not as an expert by any means, but as a cyclist (think baggy commuter rather than Lycra racer) who covers 3000 miles a year in Hertford and London. I remain of the view that anything that serves to remind drivers and cyclists of one another's presence should be a good thing. My logic is limited by a presumption that, whether two or four wheeled, we aim to coexist within the limited confines of the highway. As a former local authority traffic engineer (long before I became a cyclist) I can also see that councils have a tricky balance to strike; spend hundreds of thousands on schemes which cover a fraction of the network, or spread the jam (or paint) thinner accepting less segregation and greater coverage. The choice isn't back and white (or even green and tarmac-coloured). Take North Road as our case study; to achieve segregation (and design standards) along there would mean taking out a verge, row of mature trees and a footway on the Cedar Close side of the road. How acceptable would that be for elected members to sell to residents and drivers? All a bit academic since those particular lanes are gone now.

London is often held up as the (British) exemplar of cycling infrastructure, with current and previous Mayors claiming to have outdone one another in terms of miles of "Cycle Superhighway" delivered. But the approach has been modified of late to offer a wider range of routes to suit a wider range of cyclists, from (painted) Quietways to full segregation. I use both on my daily commute and can't say I could value one over the other. The segregated routes are used by fast (and sometimes pushy) cyclists looking to overtake the likes of me whereas on the quieter advisory routes you're in with the traffic and need to trade on courtesy and understanding. Which means cycling as you would drive (so no pinching those red lights!)

The moral of my story? In my view you'll be an even older and baggier cyclist than I if you wait for segregated nirvana before you get in the saddle. Get some training, start small and see if you can build up a bit of road confidence. Learn to ride to the conditions and to give and receive courtesy. In 6 years and 18000 miles of cycling I've been fetched off the bike less than a dozen times; half of those in the wet or ice with nobody else involved (you feel such a fool!) and the other half taking evasive action to avoid other cyclists and pedestrians in roughly equal measure.

Exciting development on this one. Spotted a trio of high viz clad chaps huddled under a tree on North Rd this week, enumerating (that is, counting traffic). Suspect they were counting bikes not cars to help the County take a view on whether to replace the cycle lanes.